Russell Barajas was born in Stanford, California, which is nestled among the toasty golden hills just south of San Francisco. She garnered a degree in art, with an emphasis in sculpture. 

For 10 years, she worked as a goldsmith. While living in Colombia in the early 90s, she began writing non-fiction and very short stories (known as Flash). She has published in magazines and newspapers including the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and a series of other publications.

Her obsession with film-based photography began when she foolishly entered a darkroom in Northern Virginia and never wanted to come out. She now spends more time in the darkroom than is strictly good for her. Her artwork has been published and exhibited in the US and Canada, which perhaps gives her an over-blown sense of justification. 

She has taught art and photography in N. VA for the last decade. Russell lives in Arlington, with her husband, two crazy dogs, and sometimes a cat from Laos.